When Johann Strauss gazed upon Europe’s grandest waterway 140 years ago, it inspired him to compose the Blue Danube Waltz, went on to become an unofficial anthem of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Today, the river that flows beneath the bridges of the Hungarian capital is anything but blue. Befouled with sewage, fertilizers, and industrial waste, the [...]
Caleb Stegall has written a great review of the book. I should have posted this link sooner. Excerpt:
In Look Homeward, America, Bill Kauffman offers a detailed and often idiosyncratic look at the “real split” underlying American society and politics. To paraphrase Gore Vidal, one of Kauffman’s unlikely heroes, that real split lies between those who [...]
Outdoor reading, Knights of Columbus fish fry, drinking club yesterday. Wife and kids gone for the weekend, Final Four games, and more outdoor reading today. It’s a good weekend. Call me a nerd, but I was so excited about my free day that I woke up at 3:30 and couldn’t get back to sleep. Of [...]
I bought my first new computer in over three years. The Tech Guy installed it yesterday. It’s pretty nice: 19″ flat screen monitor, soft-touch keyboard, Windows Vista, most-current versions of all the standard software. I think I’m one of the first persons in my town to have Vista and the updated MS software products. The [...]
Interesting post over at Ignatius Insight about the attempts of one man to bring new age-type practices under the roof of the Catholic Church. Excerpt:
Born in 1900 in Russia, Valentin Tomberg was for many years an enthusiastic student of Anthroposophy, the science of the spirit founded by Rudolf Steiner. In 1945, however, he converted to [...]
It’s not a good thing. Article at The Register (subscription might be required). Excerpt:
The American Psychological Association’s report concluded that sexualization was damaging to all women, but particularly to younger girls who are still forming a sense of self. Negative effects include increased risks of depression, eating disorders and low self-esteem. It also discussed the [...]
Man steals statue of Virgin Mary from cemetery, paints it to look like a clown, and poses with it for Myspace page.
Stories like these always remind me of Eddie Murphy’s routine about Mehmet Ali Agca riding the Hell Express: “And they shot the Pope. I mean, who would shoot the Pope? What’s your intention [...]
Abbreviated blogging today. My computer has been pulled, awaiting a replacement. I have computer access, but it’s not as efficient as my regular computer.
The new issue of Books & Culture arrived. The cover story: Mt. Athos. Very cool. I’ve wanted to go to Mt. Athos for the past 15 years, after having fallen in [...]
The Greeks knew acoustics, too. Pretty wild. Courtesy of LewRockwell. Excerpt:
Its acoustics are extraordinary: a performer standing on the open-air stage can be heard in the back rows almost 60 metres away. Architects and archaeologists have long speculated about what makes the sound transmit so well.
Susan Sontag once described a polymath as someone who is interested in everything and nothing else. I’m not a polymath, but I’m interested in all sorts of things. Occasionally, I even take an interest in art and architecture, so I found this opinion piece about modernist architecture highly interesting . . . and on the [...]
I’m looking for hip Catholic blogs. What do I mean by hip? Hard to say, but here are a few catch words: beatniks, jazz music, James Dean, Elvis, Dennis Hopper, Avant-garde, Pabst Blue Ribbon, White Castle. . . . unconventional. I realize the idea of “hip Catholic” is at least mildly oxymoronic (not a lot [...]
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